


you’re my honeysuckle rose

by merlypops



Series: 5SOS Song Oneshots [22]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bad Parenting, Best Friends, Coming Out, Cunnilingus, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Falling In Love, Fingerfucking, Friends to Lovers, Girl 5sos, Girls Kissing, Hopeful Ending, Jealous Ashton, Light Dom/sub, Love Confessions, Multiple Orgasms, Nipple Play, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Poor Ashton, Requited Love, Rich Luke, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Song Lyrics, Spanking, Vaginal Fingering, also malum get a little shout out, cis girl ashton, cis girl luke, girl!ashton, girl!luke, oh my god these tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2016-02-17
Packaged: 2018-05-21 06:43:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6041986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlypops/pseuds/merlypops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Ash loved doing this, loved making it as messy as she could because Lu was usually so neat and well put together, and Ash adored making a mess of her. She loved taking Lu to pieces because, for just a little while, Lu wasn’t the successor to her family’s fortune. She was just Lu instead – <i>Ash’s</i> Lu.<br/>Her princess.'</p><p>
  <b>Ash and Lu have been in love with each other for a long time, and they just want to be together.</b>
</p><p>Based on “Honeysuckle Rose” by Eva Cassidy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you’re my honeysuckle rose

**Author's Note:**

> It's taken me like 2 days to write this fic but I've really enjoyed it? I don't know, like it feels a bit different to some of my other stuff maybe but I hope you guys will enjoy reading it.
> 
> Basically this really pretty post on Tumblr inspired this: http://merlypops.tumblr.com/post/139302562577/lhrry-moodboard-vintage-larry

It was already late afternoon when Ash left the high street behind. The dying sunlight painted the lavender-stained blue sky with streaks of gold, like autumn leaves almost, and there were crows wheeling in the air overhead as she walked towards the expensive side of town.

Lu’s apartment building was up ahead, right on the corner between the park and a quaint little row of shops that seemed to be mostly clothes boutiques. The building was old and beautiful, French-looking in its architecture with carved white stone and balconies jutting out into the warm air. There were little white roses climbing a trellis that stretched up the wall and shining stained glass in the doors downstairs.

The doorman nodded his head in greeting to Ash as she shot him her usual cheerful smile, sauntering past him. She visited her best friend Lu here a lot.

The Hemmings family owned the entire penthouse suite of the building – wealthy due to the success of their pharmaceutical company – and Ash shuddered to think of how much it must cost to own and maintain. Probably more than her entire family combined would ever earn in their lifetimes.

There were cleaners and everything, and Ash didn’t like going round when they were still tidying up because the staff kept their heads down and didn’t speak unless they were spoken to, and it made Ash feel weirdly guilty. Her mum worked as a cleaner and Ash sometimes helped her out on big jobs if there was no one else from the agency available. She hoped her mum didn’t feel like she wasn’t allowed to look her employers in the face.

The lift arrived in the lobby with a soft chime and Ash stepped in, immediately grimacing at her reflection in the floor-length mirror inside. She was dressed in her usual combination of scuffed combat boots, high-waisted denim shorts and a red-and-black plaid shirt over a crop top but her cheeks were flushed from walking through town, and her honey-coloured curls were a tangled mess around her shoulders.

The lift took Ash straight up to the top floor of the apartment building but the doors wouldn’t open until the eighteen year old entered the key code Lu had shown her all those months ago.

The doors parted silently and Ash stepped out into a wooden-panelled hallway, relaxing when she saw how empty the open-plan living room was through the archway at the end. She could see the lilies on the table, the magazines artfully spread across its surface with their glossy pages, and the floor-length white curtains that were parted around the glass doors that led out onto the balcony. The skies looked like they were on fire now.

Ash turned away, taking her boots off quickly because she didn’t want to make the cleaners more work before she headed down the shadowy corridor towards her best friend’s bedroom – although, in all honesty, the word ‘bedroom’ seemed like the understatement of the century.

Ash had a bedroom at home. There were posters covering the peeling wallpaper and a single bed buried beneath a wide assortment of soft toys that she didn’t have the heart to throw out. There was a desk covered with makeup stains and ink from biros, and she had socks and underwear and the occasional used plate spread out on her carpet. Ash could stand in the middle of her bedroom with her arms outstretched and almost touch each wall. _That_ was a bedroom.

Lu’s was more like a second, smaller flat that had been crammed into the first one because her bedroom was pretty much the size of the downstairs of Ash’s whole house; there was an ensuite and a study, and she had a reading room too which pretty much amounted to a small but well-stocked library.

The reading room was one of Ash’s favourite places in the house. Lu had a wall in there completely covered with Polaroids; pictures of her with Ash and their friends, at concerts or on days out, and of anything beautiful that happened to catch Lu’s eye. (There were a _lot_ of pictures of Ashley up there.)

Ash liked it when Lu was home alone. It was the only time the blonde girl sat down at the piano in her bedroom and played the music she _wanted_ to – not what her parents had decided for her. When Ash pushed the younger girl’s bedroom door open silently, she was greeted with the soft sound of chords and Lu’s gentle voice as her fingers danced over the keys.

“ _You’ll remember me when the west wind moves among the fields of barley. You can tell the sun in his jealous sky, when we walked in fields of gold_.”

Ash leant against the doorframe, taking in the white lace of the canopy over Lu’s bed and the cherry blossom pattern of her duvet cover. There were little patterned cushions scattered across the pillows and a small white rabbit tucked beneath the duvet, pink ribbon tied in a neat bow beneath its chin. Lu had had the toy for as long as Ash could remember now.

“ _So she took her love for to gaze awhile, among the fields of barley. In his arms she fell as her hair came down, among the fields of gold_.”

There was a little jug on Lu’s bedside table filled with lavender and a big houseplant with jade green leaves sat in a white porcelain pot by the door that led out onto Lu’s balcony. The doors had been thrown open and the piano music was drifting out into the early evening as the lacy curtains swayed gently in the warm breeze. The blossoms on the apple tree growing outside clung safely to their branches as the sun began to set.

“ _Will you stay with me? Will you be my love, among the fields of barley? And you can tell the sun in his jealous sky, when we walked in fields of gold_.”

The door to the reading room was open and Ash could smell that strange, sweet old-book smell saturating the air as she watched Lu play, taking in the taller girl’s long blonde hair falling down to the small of her back as she played every note flawlessly. A few locks of hair were tied back from her face with a soft pink ribbon and Ash took in how neat it was as she twisted her fingers through her own messy curls, working out the knots.

There were waxy pink tulips clustered together in a little crystal vase on Lu’s desk with a picture Ash had painted her last year pinned up to the wall above it. Ash had tried painting sunflowers, bluebells and violets, and the pretty colours made up for her probably-questionable technique. It meant a lot that Lu had kept it up after all this time.

“ _I never made promises lightly, and there have been some that I’ve broken, but I swear in the days still left, we’ll walk in fields of gold. We’ll walk in fields of gold._ ”

Lu’s voice was so beautiful that Ash found herself leaning more heavily against the doorframe as her hazel eyes drifted over to the shelves, taking in the records, CDs and DVDs lining the walls. An expensive-looking rug stretched across Lu’s soft pink carpet, the same cream colour as the rest of her room with the exception of the rose-patterned paper on the feature wall. There were pressed flowers in vintage frames hanging up too, as well as a map with lots of little pins stuck into it, marking all of the places Lu wanted to visit one day with Ash when they got the chance.

“ _I never made promises lightly, and there have been some that I’ve broken, but I swear in the days still left, we’ll walk in fields of gold._ ”

Lu’s little grey cat Sophia was curled up on the piano bench beside the blonde girl and the kitten’s clever amber-coloured eyes found Ash where she lingered in the doorway. The curly-haired girl stepped hesitantly closer, footsteps muffled by the thick carpet as the room opened up around her.

She could see the chaise lounge now beside the shelf pressed up against the back wall, lined with leather-bound books and little trinkets, and a glass jar filled with sparkling fairy lights. There was another vase of carnations and roses blooming, their petals more red than pink as the fiery sun sank below the horizon.

“ _Many years have passed since those summer days, among the fields of barley. See the children run as the sun goes down, as you lie in fields of gold_.”

A bowl of gleaming red cherries sat on Lu’s desk too, as well as a pink journal embossed with golden letters spelling out the words ‘ _C’est la vie_ ’. The book was thick, the pages slightly uneven where Lu had hidden postcards and letters inside, but mostly it was full of lyrics and poems she’d written. The journal was locked shut with the little silver key Lu wore on a chain around her neck. Ash could see the necklace catching the fading sunlight as Lu leant over the piano, blonde hair cascading down over one shoulder like a waterfall. Ash wanted to kiss Lu’s neck.

“ _You’ll remember me when the west wind moves, among the fields of barley. You can tell the sun in his jealous sky, when we walked in fields of gold_.”

The song was coming to an end now – Ash could tell by the way Lu’s shoulders slumped a little like she was pushing all of herself into the music – and the lacy curtains swayed as the breeze picked up. Lu’s long straight hair stirred in the air and the kitten nuzzled into her side, pressing her little nose into Lu’s thigh like she was cold in the draft.

“ _When we walked in fields of gold_.” Lu’s fingers slowed on the keys as she played the last chord, letting the note linger in the silence that followed. “ _When we walked in fields of gold_.”

Ash suppressed her smile when Lu finally stopped playing, dropping her hand to pet the kitten gently instead. Sophia stretched out, purring contentedly, but she was still watching Ash curiously and Lu followed the cat’s gaze, her pale pink lips tugging up into a gentle smile when she saw her best friend, even as her cheeks flushed delicately at having been caught singing.

“That was a pretty song,” Ash said by way of greeting, lips tugging up into a crooked smile. She buried her hands in the pockets of her denim shorts, crossing her legs at the ankle as she leant back against the wall again in her socks. “What’s it called?”

Sophia climbed onto Lu’s lap, fluffy little tail coiling around the blonde girl’s wrist as Lu petted her gently.

“It’s called Fields Of Gold,” Lu said calmly but her cheeks were still faintly flushed and her eyelashes shone like burnished gold when she closed her eyes for a moment. “It’s by Eva Cassidy.” The seventeen year old smiled suddenly, lips quirking up into what was almost a smirk. “How long have you been standing there, Ashley?”

“Long enough,” Ash said cheerfully. “Have I told you how pretentious yet aesthetically pleasing I find your bedroom, Lu?”

“Not today,” the blonde girl said dryly but she was smiling as she twisted on the bench so that she was facing the older girl instead. “Do you like my new skirt? I got it last weekend.”

It was a pearly grey chiffon, all floaty and soft as it fell down to her knees. Lu lifted the hem with her fingertip as her expression became teasing and Ash smiled with too many teeth.

“It’s very pretty,” the older girl said, arms folded loosely over her chest now. Lu’s sky blue eyes were deceptively innocent. “But it would look better on your floor probably,” Ash amended and… yeah, that was a thing that happened sometimes. Her and Lu were kind of together now. _Together_ -together.

Ash didn’t really know what it meant yet. Neither did Lu.

“Excuse you,” the blonde girl said but her sky blue eyes were sparkling now as she crossed her legs on the bench, making the skirt ruck up around her thighs, covered as they were by the smooth pearly material of her tights. “This skirt is going to be placed lovingly somewhere so that it doesn’t get creased. I swear on Sophia’s life that it’s going nowhere _near_ the floor.”

The kitten jumped off the bench at the mention of her name, making a beeline for the door although she paused in her escape to wind lovingly around Ash’s bare ankle. The older girl smiled despite herself, wishing she could pet the cat but realising just in time that it would probably be a bad idea with her allergies.

“Did that skirt cost more than our month’s rent?” Ash asked, only half-joking as she pushed the bedroom door shut carefully. Lu bit her bottom lip in that way that made heat pool in Ash’s stomach.

“Not a _month_ ,” Lu said but her feet slipped down onto the carpet and she kept her legs spread in a way that would have been lewd if it was anyone else. “Maybe a week’s rent instead?”

“I’d have ruined that by the end of the first day,” Ash said with a grin, finger worrying at the fraying edge of her shorts before she pushed herself away from the wall, wandering over to the chaise lounge. There was a mirror mounted on the wall behind it and Ash looked at herself, fixing a bit of smudged eyeliner as Lu watched her unashamedly from behind.

“You admiring my arse, Hemmings?” Ash asked coarsely as she turned, smirk curling her lips again. Lu blushed, making this scoffing sound which was essentially confirmation. She didn't like when Ash called her by her surname.

“ _No_ ,” the blonde girl lied badly. “I was just… I like your shorts,” she said lamely.

“Five dollars from the market in town, princess,” Ash said with this smile that didn’t really touch her eyes. Her cheeks grew pink when Lu’s hands fell to settle on the edge of the bench between her legs. “These would probably look better on your floor too.”

Lu reached for her but Ash stayed where she was, smirk growing when Lu pouted.

“That’s very true,” the blonde girl said at last but her voice had taken on that edge it got when she wanted something and Ash knew she was powerless to resist. “Now come over here and tell me about your day.”

“There’s not much to tell,” Ash said but she was already crossing the room, large hands falling to settle on Lu’s shoulders through the cream-coloured jumper she was wearing. Lu’s hands found Ash’s waist and the older girl briefly considered sitting in Lu’s lap before she realised that might crease the younger girl’s ridiculously expensive skirt.

It took Ash a moment to remember that she still hadn’t really answered and her tone was faintly challenging when she spoke, like she was daring the blonde girl to say something (although of course Lu never did because she was _far_ too sweet for that). “I helped mum clean some offices in a factory and then I went swimming.”

“That sounds… nice?” Lu said doubtfully before she frowned, tilting her head back so that she could look at Ash’s tanned face. “You don’t smell of chlorine,” the blonde girl said suddenly and Ash rolled her hazel eyes, hands slipping from Lu’s shoulders to stroke the nape of her neck instead. Lu shivered, fingers tightening reflexively on the older girl’s hips.

“Even poor people like _me_  know how to shower, Lu,” Ash said but it came out teasing and a lot gentler than she’d been intending. “What about you, princess? Get up to much?”

The sun had almost set now and the skies were a deep amethyst, streaked with ruby and traces of gold, like an overturned treasure chest. The beauty of it was _nothing_ compared to the sweetness of Lu’s upturned face though.

“I taught Michaela a new song on the piano earlier,” Lu said with a shrug, referring to one of her school friends who Ash knew through swimming. Michaela was pretty and confident and funny, and Ash tried her hardest not to pout but the blonde girl still noticed. Of _course_ she did.

“You don’t have to be jealous, silly,” Lu said and her words were teasing but her voice was so soft as her palm slipped up to cup Ash’s cheek. “I’m sure our dear friend Mike went straight home to her lovely boyfriend Calum right afterwards… so you can stop sulking now.”

Ash stuck her tongue out at Lu but she looked placated as she knelt down on the carpet, palms warm on Lu’s thighs as they slipped higher. Lu swallowed audibly when Ash’s fingertips eased inside her tights so that she could carefully remove them and the blonde girl raised her hips to help, cheeks stained red as she watched the slight smile fighting its way across the older girl’s face.

“Can’t help being jealous,” Ash said but she was joking now as she triumphantly tossed the tights onto the back of Lu’s desk chair. “Mike has better tits than me.”

“Lies,” Lu said instantly but there was a smile curling her lips now as she looked at Ash coyly where the older girl was still kneeling beside the bench. “ _No one_ has better tits than you.” Lu’s smile became knowing. “Are they better than mine, Ashley?”

“ _Hmmm_ ,” Ash said thoughtfully, pausing for just long enough that Lu gave her a weak scowl. “I’m not sure I remember." Ash grinned, hazel eyes twinkling in the dying sunlight. “You might have to jog my memory.”

“I think I can probably do that for you,” Lu said, playing along. Her long blonde hair shone golden, tumbling down around her elbows as she licked her lips, tongue darting out to wet them in a flicker of movement that drew Ash’s gaze. Lu took the bottom of her jumper, easing it up carefully over her head so that the pale pink blouse she was wearing underneath didn’t crumple. Its pearly buttons opened easily beneath Lu’s fingers.

“ _Lu-Lu_ ,” Ash sighed, the pet name drawn out of her against her better judgement as Lu sat there, legs spread in her pretty grey skirt as one pale finger idly traced the white lace of her bra. The blonde girl was utterly shameless but Ash couldn’t very well blame her; if she looked like that, she would have been unashamed too.

“ _Ashley_ ,” Lu grumbled, tugging at the older girl’s plaid shirt before Ash finally gave in, letting it slide down her tanned shoulders to fall on the floor as she tried hard not to feel self-conscious.

“How strange,” Ash said as she wriggled out of her crop top too, letting it slip from her fingers. “ _All_ of my clothes look better on your floor.”

“It’s because of the rug,” Lu joked but her eyes were darker now as they traced over Ash’s skin, taking in the black sports bra she was wearing and the flowering tree Ash had tattooed across the left side of her ribcage. It looked a bit like a jacaranda – a tree with sticky purple flowers that Ash had always found very beautiful – but she hadn’t added any colour to it yet. She hadn’t saved up enough money for that.

“I love your tattoo,” Lu said, fingers reaching out to trace the branches. Ash shivered but her hazel eyes were still fixed on Lu, taking in her pearly skin and the soft curve of her breast inside her bra. Ash wanted to touch her _so_ badly but she wanted to tease her more… wanted to make this last for long enough that Ash forgot about being poor; forgot that Lu was rich and clever and beautiful, and probably worth a million times what Ash was; forgot everything that made her sad or scared or anxious… until she forgot everything that wasn’t **Lu**.

“I love _you_ ,” Ash said and the words didn’t scare her; they’d said them a thousand times before after all and Lu didn’t need to know that Ash meant them in a different way this time.

Lu made a little needy sound in her throat as she reached for Ash, rising on shaky legs and wrapping an arm around the older girl’s shoulders as her free hand tangled in Ash’s caramel curls. Lu’s lips found Ash’s and they were so soft as she kissed the older girl, deepening it with hesitant little flicks of her tongue that made Ash burn hot as her knees weakened. Lu’s soft tummy was warm against Ash’s as the older girl’s hands spread across her back, keeping her close as she stroked the downy skin.

“Ashley, I –” Lu whispered when she broke the kiss but she whined when Ash’s hands slipped down to grip her hips, holding her in place as Ash’s tanned thigh slipped between Lu’s legs. “My skirt, my skirt,” the blonde girl mumbled, cheeks flaming, and Ash rolled her eyes fondly as she stepped away but it felt like she’d left all of her body heat with Lu.

“You better take it off then, if you’re so worried about it,” the older girl said as her hands fell to remove her denim shorts. The rosy undertone of Lu’s skin was the colour of cherry blossoms now as she blushed, carefully easing the floaty grey skirt down her legs before she laid it carefully over the back of her desk chair.

“Better?” Ash asked as she stepped out of her shorts where they were pooled on the floor. Lu’s pretty blue eyes were unusually dark and her long blonde hair was so soft as it ran through Ash’s fingers. The older girl stroked Lu’s neck again, pressed her smug smile to the younger girl’s skin when Lu shivered.

“Much,” she said but anything else she was going to say was lost when Ash gently eased her hand into the white lace of Lu’s bra. She cupped Lu’s small breast gently, thumb rubbing her hard pink nipple as she trailed kisses across the pearly white skin of the blonde girl’s collarbone.

Lu hummed contentedly, gripping Ash’s shoulders in her pale hands as she lost herself in it. Lu’s skin was so warm and soft; she smelt like honeysuckle and roses, and the faintest hint of vanilla that Ash only noticed when she leant to suck a gentle bruise into the younger girl’s collarbone, making heat pool between Lu’s legs.

Ash withdrew her hand a little, let her fingertips brush the sensitive bud instead as she started walking Lu carefully towards her bed. The blonde girl was smiling despite how flushed her cheeks were when her free hand tangled with Ash’s and the quiet confidence in the younger girl’s face made Ash’s heart skip a beat in her chest.

Lu walked like it was always summer… like the shadows fell away when she was with her best friend and nothing else mattered anymore.

“Gonna make you feel so good, princess,” Ash whispered when they sank down onto the bed. The cherry blossom duvet smelt freshly-washed and the cushions fell to the floor with soft thumps when Ash pushed them aside impatiently, making room for them both on the pillows.

Ash’s hand crept back to Lu’s chest again, fingers easing inside her bra before she decided it would just be easier to pull it down. Lu shivered at the cool air as goosebumps broke out on her pale skin but she whimpered when the older girl replaced her fingers with the wet heat of her mouth instead, sucking on Lu's nipple gently. Ash pinched the other lightly between her thumb and forefinger, and the blonde girl groaned as she arched her back, pressing into the touch.

“Always so sensitive,” Ash murmured when she drew back, hot breath washing over Lu and making her shudder as the older girl let her fingertips trail teasingly down the blonde girl’s stomach. There was a blush spreading down Lu’s throat now and that was a sure sign she was turned on. Ash felt smug at that, congratulating herself on a job well done as Lu gazed down at her with glassy eyes.

Ash’s fingers encountered the white silk of Lu’s knickers and another needy whimper tore out of the younger girl as she shuddered at the feather-light touch. Ash pressed a little harder when her fingertips brushed the damp material and Lu’s hips jerked as her arms found their way around Ash’s shoulders again. Her teeth grazed over Ash’s throat when she realised the older girl was deliberately avoiding her clit and Ash smiled like she _wasn’t_ desperate for it too.

“Please,” the blonde girl whispered and Ash drew back to look at her, bottom lip held between her teeth as Lu looked at her with sparkling darkened eyes, two points of colour in her cheeks. She was so beautiful that she took Ash’s breath away sometimes and the older girl didn’t think it was fair that someone could invoke such emotions in her just by looking at her.

“You’re so beautiful, princess.” Ash’s voice was soft and breathless, and she wanted to hate how weak she sounded but her hands were sliding across Lu’s warm skin to remove her bra now and Lu was so perfect, and it made Ash’s mouth go dry. She didn’t care about anything else anymore.

“So are you,” Lu promised shakily but her voice was lower than usual, rougher almost as the lust unfurled in her eyes like nebulas. Ash bit her lip harder as she hooked her fingers in Lu’s silky knickers, easing them down her pale thighs before she threw the underwear aside.

Lu’s legs went on for miles and Ash was so in love with them. She leant to suck a love-bite into the pale skin as her hands settled comfortingly on Lu’s hips and the blonde girl groaned when she felt Ash’s teeth grazing the sensitive skin, arching her back as her legs fell open, leaving room for Ash to settle down between them.

 _God_ , Lu looked good like this. She was so wet that there was a little damp patch on the sheets now and her rabbit had fallen onto the floor, and Ash could hear music from a bar across the street through the open balcony doors, and Lu was so hot and wet and soft when Ash stroked her fingers teasingly across the blonde girl’s slit and –

 _Fuck_ , Ash had never craved Lu more than she did now.

Lu was spread out in front of Ash, chest heaving as her fingers twisted in the duvet. Her nipples were hard and pert, and she let out a little sob when Ash’s tongue washed hot over one of them. The thatch of short golden hair between Lu’s legs was just as neat as the rest of her and the lurid pink of Lu’s soft folds made Ash suck her stupid moan into the warm skin of the younger girl’s stomach.

’ _Mine_ ,’ Ash thought, drunk on lust as her hazel eyes took in how wrecked Lu looked. ‘ _All mine._ ’

“Luckiest girl in the world,” Ash breathed but her pupils were blown now and she couldn’t tear her gaze away from how _good_ Lu looked. The only things the younger girl was wearing now were earrings, her necklace with the key, and the ribbon in her hair… but the ribbon was falling and Lu’s clean white teeth were sinking into her soft bottom lip, and Ash wanted to taste her.

“You’re telling me.” Lu gasped when Ash reached to stroke the inside of her thigh gently with her thumb, and then: “Touch me like you did that afternoon, Ashley. _Please_.”

Ash’s eyes were still taking Lu in hungrily but she smiled, knew Lu knew how much she loved it when the blonde girl asked for Ash like this.

“Whatever you say, princess,” the curly-haired girl promised but her palms were warm as she held Lu’s thighs securely and the blonde girl made a little broken noise when Ash’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, and it made heat pool like lava in the older girl’s stomach.

Ash pressed a soft kiss to the smooth skin just below Lu’s navel and a soft whine escaped the blonde girl as Ash nosed down her stomach, pressing soft kisses there until she could finally get her lips on Lu.

It made Lu moan, a high sweet sound as every muscle in her body seemed to melt back onto the bed. Her trembling fingers worked their way gently into the older girl’s curls and Ash decided she was done with teasing. She closed her lips around Lu’s throbbing clit instead, relishing the needy sound that escaped Lu as her hips jerked when Ash began sucking gently before she let her tongue wash over it.

“ _Ashley_ ,” Lu cried and Ash threw caution to the wind, licking lower and deeper, making Lu moan as the sharp scent of her washed over Ash like a drug. Lu tasted salty-sweet on Ash’s tongue and the little sounds tearing out of Lu when Ash nuzzled the soft skin gently only turned the older girl on _more_.

Lu’s stomach was rising and falling as she panted now, and her fingertips were pressing tiny bruises into Ash’s tanned shoulders as the older girl went down on her, kissing the soft skin and tracing the slit with her tongue before she pressed it in again, fucking Lu the best she could with it as the blonde girl started to fall apart.

Ash loved doing this, loved making it as messy as she could because Lu was usually so neat and well put together, and Ash adored making a mess of her. She loved taking Lu to pieces because, for just a little while, Lu wasn’t the successor to her family’s fortune, to Hemmings pharmaceuticals. She was just Lu instead – _Ash’s_ Lu.

Her princess.

Lu whined high in her throat when Ash rubbed the younger girl’s clit gently with her thumb and she buried her slightly drunk smile as she licked deeper. Lu’s breath was escaping her in needy little gasps now, like she was close but didn’t have quite enough friction to get her over the edge, and Lu looked like she was going to cry when Ash pulled away to press a gentle kiss to the inside of the younger girl’s knee.

“Sit on my face,” Ash mumbled as she slumped down onto the bed beside Lu and the blonde girl moaned again, cheeks burning as she pushed herself up shakily to do what Ash had asked.

“Good girl,” Ash breathed when Lu carefully moved so that she was hovering over her face, poised with her knees on either side of the older girl’s head as she looked down at Ash with flaming cheeks and bright blue eyes glittering with lust. Lu's expression was unexpectedly soft.

“This alright?” she checked, chest heaving as her hands fell to settle on the headboard. Ash's palms settled warm on Lu's arse and the blonde girl sighed contentedly when Ash urged her gently closer.

“Perfect,” Ash breathed as she spread Lu carefully with her thumbs and then her mouth was on Lu's cunt again, and words stopped being necessary.

Lu was so, _so_ wet now and it was all Ash could think about as she spread it around with her tongue, moans muffled in Lu's overheated skin as the blonde girl shuddered above her, eyes fluttering shut to show soft lavender lids as she lost herself in the pleasure.

Lu's hips were starting to rock again, jerking back just the way Ash loved, even if the older girl _did_ feel like she was about to burst into flames if she didn't cum soon. She spread her legs where they were twisted in the duvet but all that happened was that the edge of her black cotton knickers caught on her clit, making her gasp into Lu's cunt as she felt herself soaking the material.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Lu cried when Ash licked over her clit, sucking it into her mouth before she tongued over Lu's slit again. The younger girl's hips were jerking even harder now and there were tears falling down her cheeks as her breath caught in her flushed chest. When Ash pressed her thumb firmly to Lu's clit, the blonde girl came with a broken moan.

Her thighs tightened around Ash's head and her muscles fluttered, and Lu was panting into the crook of her elbow as her hips slowly stopped jerking. Ash didn't stop licking at her though, kept tasting Lu with the point of her tongue until the blonde girl jerked again, whining at how sensitive she was.

“Another,” Ash mumbled, voice muffled as her free arm wrapped around Lu's waist, keeping her there. “ _Another_ , Lu-Lu.”

The blonde girl groaned but she wasn't moving away and one of her hands fell down to tangle in Ash's soft curls. Ash could see in Lu’s darkened eyes how much she loved it though and she knew the younger girl could take this; they did it all the time now.

When Ash began to rub Lu's clit with the pad of her thumb, the blonde girl's stomach tensed and she moaned loudly, back arching at the sensation of Ash's tongue fucking into her again.

Lu's thighs were shaking with how sensitive she was now but the moans pouring out of her were _so_ hot, and it felt like Lu was everywhere; felt like Ash was totally about to suffocate from it but she’d honestly never cared about anything less when she knew she was making Lu feel this good.

The blonde girl was sobbing now, hips rocking back against Ash’s tongue deep inside her as the older girl began to circle her thumb gently around Lu’s clit and, when Ash brought her hand down hard across the blonde girl’s arse – smacking the warm flesh because she knew Lu loved it – that was all it took.

Lu came again and it was even louder than before, a sobbing sound punched out of her as she shuddered through her orgasm, riding Ash’s face and crying with how good it felt.

There were tears trickling down her cheeks and she was shaking when Ash helped her lie down, fingers stroking through the younger girl’s thick blonde hair gently as Lu’s body finally stopped trembling through the aftershocks. Ash could see her handprint fading slowly on Lu’s skin and it made her even _more_ desperate for release now.

Ash’s full lips were so, _so_ swollen when Lu finally came to, blinking sleepily at Ash and giving her a wide smile that made her look drunk. Lu’s limbs were loose and soft as she snuggled up against Ash’s chest but she seemed to remember the older girl’s predicament when the gentle kiss Lu pressed to Ash’s neck made her moan.

“Oh?” Lu teased, scattering soft kisses across Ash’s neck. “What do you want, Ash?” The older girl’s head was spinning now because all she could think of was Lu’s tongue, her lips, her fingers.

“ _Y-you_ ,” Ash gasped but the word came out broken and cracked, and Ash had felt too loud and bright and colourful for Lu’s bedroom before. She’d felt like she could crush everything around her to shards of crystals, and Lu with it if she wanted to – although of course she’d never want to – but then Lu kissed her as her hand slid down between Ash’s legs, making the older girl jerk and whine, and Ash felt _small_ instead. Vulnerable.

“Oh, babe,” Lu whispered sympathetically when she felt how wet Ash was against her fingers, saw how needy her burning eyes were. “I'll take care of you. It’s okay.”

Ash just lay there, sweaty and needy and desperate in her black sports bra. Her knickers were soaked now and Lu pressed a soft kiss to the older girl’s hipbone, sucking a bruise into the delicate skin there as she eased the damp material down Ash’s tanned thighs, kneading them gently.

Ash’s heart was pounding hard in the fragile confines of her chest and she scrabbled at the clasp of her bra for a moment before it came undone so that it could be tossed aside. Lu’s eyes were vaguely possessive when she reached up to cup Ash’s breast gently and the soft sound that tore out of the older girl when Lu rubbed Ash’s nipple with her thumb made the blonde girl smile triumphantly.

“My turn,” Lu mumbled but she still looked pleased with herself when she leant down to press a soft kiss to Ash’s clit. It made the older girl grunt, made her cheeks flame hotter as her fingers twisted in the sheets but… but Ash couldn’t just give herself over to the sensations like Lu could.

She was too self-conscious, too cold from the breeze blowing in through the open door, and she kind of hated how far away Lu felt when her head was buried between Ash’s trembling thighs. Ash could feel herself getting faintly panicky at how exposed she was and it was so _stupid_ because she wanted to cum so bad but… but she was frightened… felt sick at the thought of Lu looking up at her and seeing all of the things Ash hated about herself.

Lu’s tongue darted out to taste her and Ash groaned but her eyes were prickling when she tugged weakly at Lu’s shoulders, making the blonde girl look up with concern.

”Ashley?” Lu breathed. Her mouth was gleaming with Ash’s cunt and the older girl whined despite herself. “What’s wrong, love?”

”You’re too far,” Ash said hoarsely, eyes wet and desperate, and Lu’s expression softened when she crawled up the bed to lie beside the older girl, hand tucked neatly between Ash’s legs.

The older girl moaned when she felt Lu’s fingers working her clit but the sound was lost when Lu’s mouth found hers, her lips a gentle nudge against Ash’s before she pressed closer, licking at the seal of the older girl’s lips and swallowing the little choked sounds that were escaping her at the stimulation as Ash kissed the taste of herself from the younger girl's mouth.

Ash’s eyelashes were spiky with tears as her hands spread out on Lu’s back and the warmth of her breasts against Ash’s made the older girl moan as the heat began to bubble in her stomach.

Ash couldn’t stop the needy little sounds tearing out of her and, when Lu broke the kiss to suck a bruise into Ash’s throat, the soft noises became strangled as Lu kept working her clit. Lu’s long blonde hair was tumbling down around them like a golden waterfall, until the younger girl’s beautiful face was all she could see.

Ash’s mouth dropped open around a moan when she felt the fingers of Lu’s free hand stroking over her and she was so wet now that it was easy for Lu to slide two inside. Ash shuddered when Lu began to scissor them gently but she was still rubbing Ash’s clit and her fingers were fucking smoothly into Ash’s tight slick heat, and the moans Ash was letting out now were loud enough that the music outside wasn’t audible anymore.

Lu giggled, the soft sound sweet in the darkening evening as she kissed down Ash’s jaw, keeping the movement of her hands consistent. Ash was panting harder now, hips jerking at Lu’s fingertips circling her clit, toes curling as the lust reached boiling point.

“ _Lu-Lu_ ,” Ash gasped brokenly as she came, wave after rolling wave of pleasure crashing down over her as Lu stroked her through it.

Ash came to with her face pressed to Lu’s neck, her arms wrapped loosely around the younger girl’s waist as Lu stroked Ash’s curls gently, her other hand delicately tracing the branches of the jacaranda tree tattooed across her ribcage.

Ash could smell the delicate vanilla scent of Lu’s throat; the way her hair smelt of honeysuckle and roses. When Ash drew Lu into a gentle kiss, she realised for the first time that day that Lu’s tongue tasted like cherries beneath the lingering taste of _Ash_.

The sky was almost dark outside now but a quick glance over her bare shoulder showed Ash that the stars were already twinkling to life. Lu’s eyes were wide and so glitter-soft when the older girl turned back to face her that Ash felt a lump rise in her throat.

“You told me you loved me earlier,” Lu whispered and Ash’s heart stopped beating in her chest. “You did, didn’t you? I didn’t imagine it?” Ash nodded numbly and Lu’s smile tugged at her pale lips as her hands slipped to cup Ash’s face gently where they lay facing each other on the pillows.

“I have something to tell you,” Lu whispered, so close the tip of her little upturned nose brushed Ash’s. She kept her voice low and soft, sky blue eyes sparkling like she was telling a secret. “I love you too. In _that_ way.” Lu swallowed past her tears at the wide-eyed look of shock a dazed Ash sent her. The blonde girl inhaled shakily, like she was steeling herself for something.

“I’m _in_ love with you, Ashley,” Lu whispered and one of the tears rolled down her cheeks in the darkness. “I think I have been this whole time.”

Ash’s voice sounded small and choked in the darkness when she tightened her arms around Lu’s waist, and she felt like there was a sob clawing its way up from her chest somewhere. Ash fought against it.

“I’m in love with you too.” Her voice shook and normally Ash would’ve hated it, would’ve worried that it made her seem vulnerable but… but _nothing_ exposed her more than this conversation did. She felt like her heart had been scraped raw with sandpaper but… but Lu’s gentle kisses were taking the sting away like cooling water… like the damp blue of her _eyes_ almost.

Lu shuddered in Ash’s arms, clinging to her tightly as she gave the older girl a watery smile. She was shivering though, goosebumps forming on her pale skin again, and Ash pressed a soft kiss to the younger girl’s shoulder as she reached down to pull the duvet up over them both. There was a cushion wedged uncomfortably into the small of Ash’s back and Lu’s hair was tickling her nose when the blonde girl tucked her face away beneath Ash’s chin but, quite honestly, the older girl wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“Everything's going to be alright,” Ash whispered when she found her voice again but Lu's voice was shaking when she spoke next.

“I came out to my parents.” Lu spoke in a whisper and Ash tensed up, cuddling Lu closer because she was afraid of their reaction. Lu’s fingers were trembling when she started to stroke the older girl’s curls gently. “And do you know what? They didn’t even care. Ben’s going to inherit the company, Jack’s had a kid in case something goes wrong there… and they don’t seem to care… and I know I should be grateful for that. I know I should be glad that they don’t care – that this doesn’t _matter_ to them – but… it’s so _h-hard_ …” Lu’s voice cracked and she closed her eyes against the tears welling up. “They don’t even talk to me anymore, Ash,” she whispered and her voice was trembling. “It’s like I’m not even here anymore. It’s like I’m not useful now so… so they just leave me be.”

Ash stroked the younger girl's long blonde hair back gently and Lu pressed her cheek into the older girl's palm when Ash leant down to kiss her. She wished she could take Lu’s sadness away. Ash wished for that more than she wished for _anything_.

Ash read between the lines of Lu’s words and her hazel eyes were deeply unhappy as she cuddled Lu tightly to her bare chest.

“Don’t you get lonely? If they leave you alone all the time?” Ash asked softly and Lu smiled like her beautiful blue eyes _weren’t_ shining with tears… like her heart _hadn’t_ almost stopped beating in her chest.

“You have no idea,” she said and it felt twisted that Lu was still smiling, just the way she’d always been taught. “I hate being here now. I wish we could just leave,” Lu whispered and that sentence sent thoughts racing through Ash’s head; of new exciting places and unexplored territory, and Lu’s hand clasped tightly in her own.

For just a moment, it felt almost within reach before reality came crashing down because… they could run away _one day_ but not right now; not when Ash's mum still needed her to help look after her siblings; not when the only money they had access to belonged to Lu's parents; not when they were both still just kids.

One day though.

One day soon, Ash hoped.

“You’d be so nice to come home to,” Lu whispered, like she was thinking just the same thing. Her face crumpled suddenly and Ash held her tighter. “Some nights…” Lu’s voice trailed away and she sniffed hard, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Some nights I just want to take Sophia and go, y’know?” Ash nodded wordlessly and Lu smiled self-deprecatingly, letting her forehead fall to rest in the crook of the older girl’s neck as she tangled their legs together beneath the duvet. “But I have nowhere to go.”

Ash’s reply was instantaneous.

“That’s not true,” she said. “You know my mum loves you, and Harry and Lauren. And I’m the only one who’s allergic to cats but I’d totally deal with it for you, Lu. You could both come and live with us…” Ash swallowed past the lump in her throat when Lu looked up at her with wide, wonderstruck eyes. “I… I know my house is… tiny compared to this place but… but we’d never ignore you, Lu. We _love_ you. _I_ love you.”

Lu’s eyes burnt with tears as she clutched the little silver key hanging around her neck tightly in her fist. Ash’s dimples creased her tear-wet cheeks when Lu buried her watery smile in the older girl’s neck but she squirmed away at the ticklish sensation when Lu peppered her tanned skin with kisses.

“Thank you, Ashley,” Lu whispered, warm cheek resting gently on the older girl’s shoulder as they lay there together. “That means the whole world, I promise. Even if your mum doesn’t say yes.”

“She will,” Ash said quietly but Lu just smiled, shaking her head slowly as another tear rolled down her cheek.

“It doesn’t matter,” Lu breathed, her fingers rising to tangle gently in her best friend’s curls. “You care,” she said simply. “That’s enough.”

Ash was still lying there trying not to cry when Lu wriggled out of her arms suddenly, crossing the shadowy room in a streak of pearly skin as she pulled the doors to the balcony shut and drew the curtains across to keep the cold out.

Ash leant out of bed to flick one of the lamps on, bathing the bedroom in a warm golden glow as the younger girl turned to face her. Lu looked so beautiful as she hurried back – miles and miles of uninterrupted pearly skin - and Ash's hazel eyes were glittering when Lu fell back into bed beside her.

“Stay here tonight,” Lu whispered, her lips warm as they pressed to Ash’s bare shoulder, absently brushing one of the love-bites she’d left behind earlier.

“Of course,” Ash promised – deciding not to mention that she’d warned her mum she probably wouldn’t be coming home tonight anyway – but Ash was shivering faintly as she cuddled Lu closer, hands smoothing up and down the younger girl’s back as she tried to warm her.

The duvet was tangled between them from where Lu had flung herself back onto the bed and, when the blonde girl reached to untangle it, she laughed at something Ash couldn’t see.

“What is it?” the older girl asked curiously and Lu was biting her bottom lip to keep from smiling when she covered them up again.

“I like your socks, Ash,” Lu said suddenly and Ash snorted, cheeks colouring as she buried her face in the sweet-smelling skin of Lu’s neck.

“They’ve got cheeseburgers on,” she said and the younger girl started giggling, body shaking as her fingertips brushed Ash’s back comfortingly like flower petals.

“I can see that,” Lu said with a smile in her voice. “They’re very tasteful.”

“ _Tasty_ ,” Ash corrected but her voice was thick with exhaustion now and her eyes didn’t really want to stay open anymore. “Because they’re burgers,” she explained sleepily. Lu smiled, pressing a tiny kiss to the corner of Ash’s mouth.

She made an excited noise suddenly and Ash blinked one hazel eye open curiously to see what she was doing.

“If I moved out,” Lu said suddenly. “Then I could get a lip-ring. I’ve always wanted a lip-ring.”

“You’d look hot,” Ash said honestly and Lu’s cheeks heated as she blushed, hiding her bashful smile in Ash’s shoulder-length honey-coloured curls as she cuddled her closer again. Ash's eyes were flecked with green when they were lying this close together; Lu couldn't believe she'd never noticed it before.

“Thanks, babe,” the blonde girl said teasingly but there was something sincere burning in her sky blue eyes as she pressed a soft kiss to Ash’s forehead. “ _Thank you_.” Her tone was unusually serious before she cupped the older girl’s face gently, mouth brushing Ash’s in a goodnight kiss. “Now get some sleep, Ashley.”

The curly-haired girl smiled fondly as she snuggled down more comfortably in the clean sheets, face tucked away in the warm space between Lu’s neck and the pillow.

“Goodnight, princess,” Ash mumbled.

The lamp flicked off and the room was plunged into shadows but Lu was warm against her; soft and familiar and _right_. Ash felt calmer than she’d felt in a long time.

Lu let out a soft sigh beside her as she slowly began to succumb to sleep and Ash let herself relax, melting into Lu’s arms as they snuggled up together beneath the cherry blossom duvet cover. The rabbit toy was still lying on the floor somewhere. They’d have to remember not to stand on it in the morning.

Ash could feel Lu’s heart beating steadily against her own as they lay tangled up together and there was something that felt a lot like hope bubbling gently through the older girl’s veins as Lu finally passed out, body limp and warm against her.

Ash thought of the map on the wall marked with pins and the jacaranda on her ribs with its sticky purple flowers as she fell asleep. Ash wanted to travel to see the tree growing in its native habitat one day… with Lu.

Maybe they could finally be together now.

Maybe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Please let me know what you thought by leaving comments and kudos <3


End file.
